Seasons of Love
by Mika Casey
Summary: The four seasons of affection for my favorite Naruto pairings. ShikaIno, NaruSaku, NejiTen, ShinoHina.


**Disclaimer:** The Naruto Characters don't belong to me. So...yeah.

**Author's Note:** I was half asleep when I wrote this, so please don't hurt me if you decide to review. I was thinking about how much I love the winter, and how much ShinoHina reminds me of winter...And hence this was created. I finished this at 2:15 am. So enjoy, despite the fact that I'm practically falling over from how exhausted I am. Good night, all!

* * *

**_Spring_**

Shikamaru sat underneath a young oak tree in the Yamanaka's back yard, arms behind his head as he rested with his eyes closed. The air around him was warm, but a cool breeze prevented the atmosphere from being uncomfortable against his skin. He could smell insect repellant and freshly-churned soil, and he had smudges of dirt on his face.

A hand made contact with the top of his head, sending pain through his nerve cells. "Baka! Wake up!" Shikamaru opened his eyes to see a blonde girl standing above him with a peeved expression on her face. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, her bangs suck to her forehead as a result of sweat. She was wearing brown pants and a small white tank top that fit exactly to her curves.

He looked up at her with bored chocolate eyes. "I'm awake, troublesome girl." He mumbled. His eyes fluttered closed again, and he felt her sit in his lap and grasp his face with her hands. He frowned, thinking to himself how demanding she could be sometimes.

"You're supposed to be helping me with the gardening!" She whined, bringing her face close to his. Her father had given them the task of tending to the Yamanaka garden, on such a gorgeous spring day. "What can I do to convince you?" Her breath tickled his mouth. His lips were suddenly very dry, and he ran his tongue over his lower lip.

His eyes opened again, connecting with her blue-green ones. They pleading, but he wouldn't give in easily. "I don't wanna plant stupid flowers." He stated, looking up at her through his brown eyelashes.

"I'll pay you." She said.

"You don't have any money." Shikamaru reminded her, cheeks burning with a blush.

Ino smirked. Shifting closer to him so her lips grazed his lightly, she giggled. "Not with money, my baka. With kisses." She planted a short, sweet kiss on his mouth.

This sent shivers through him. He tried to keep his cool. "How many will I get for helping?" He inquired, eyes trained on her mouth.

"Infinity." She whispered before leaning in and giving him another kiss.

After rolling his eyes and letting her kiss him a few more times, he finnally gave in. It was just that her lips were so convincing. They always tasted like cherries, the flavor of her lip gloss, and made him weak in the knees every time their lips met. Kissing Yamanaka Ino was like kissing an electrical outlet; it sent a shock of electricity through his whole body, making him shiver despite the warmth of the weather.

Shikamaru stood, and Ino handed him a box of young daisies and a small shovel. The edge of his mouth twisted up in an attempt at a grin as he kneeled in the fresh dirt and began to dig.

* * *

**_Summer_**

Naruto sat on a towel as he watched the sun sink down into the mountains. The twin peaks cradled the hot celestial body, which glowed like pure gold. The water of the lake before him shimmered, reflecting the lavender sky like a mirror.

Beside him sat his teammate, Sakura. Her head was rested on his shoulder, and her arm was looped through his. "Don't you just love summertime?" She asked him, voice filled with awe at the beautiful sight.

Naruto turned his head so he could look down at her. "Not at much as I love you, Sakura-chan." He said, smiling softly. It was the first time he had ever said that he loved her. They had kissed before, but he had never expressed his affection to her in words.

His companion looked up at him, emerald eyes alight with happiness. "You're exagerating, Naruto-kun." Her face was a light shade of pink, and her lips were curled up in a smile.

"Not at all." He assured her, pressing his lips against her forehead. Sakura giggled, pulling herself into his lap. He cradled her close to his chest. She was a beautiful sight, with her medium-length pink hair splayed out on his arm. She wore a pale pink dress, which was soft against his fingertips. Her eyes were closed, and she was pressing her face into his white tee-shirt.

Naruto looked out again over the lake. The surface rippled, waves lapping up against the shore. He felt his feelings for the girl in his arms well up inside of him, tears formed in his eyes as he remembered how lucky he was to have her.

But a high price had been payed for her affection.

Sakura had first kissed Naruto a week after Sasuke's funeral. They had both been horribly torn up about it. She had rung the doorbell to his apartment, and he had answered. He had had bloodshot eyes from crying, and she had been grieving too. In a moment of grief and desperation, she had flung herself at him and kissed him forcefully. No words were spoken as her let her have a brutal kiss, and Naruto returned her passion full-flamed. Naruto had assumed she was going to leave and never mention it again, but she didn't. She had kept returning to him, treating him like she had loved him for a lifetime.

On the lakeshore, he returned his gaze to her face. She looked so peaceful, like an angel. Her emerald eyes fluttered open, and her lips moved as she whispered up to him.

"I love you too, Naruto-kun."

* * *

**_Autumn_**

Neji chewed thoughtfully on his rice as he watched Tenten eat her own food. He was sitting cross-legged in a clearing in the forsest with the kunoichi. Gai and Lee were off practicing, which left the two remaining members of Team Gai sat eating their lunch.

Tenten was a beautiful girl, Neji did find her quite attractive, but she was also quite dangerous. She could have twenty kunai in his flesh before he could even mutter "attack me".

Tenten sat to his right, devouring her own food. Neji clicked his chopsticks together, watching the way her small mouth moved. The rice slipped past her lips, and she never dropped a single grain.

An autumn leaf fluttered down from the tree above their heads and landed in her food. Before she could move it, Neji had thrust his chopsticks at it and flicked it away. She watched, eyes wide, as he manuvered his hands so he could gather some rice in his chopsticks and bring it up to her mouth.

"You were eating?" He said, chuckling.

Tenten opened her mouth and Neji guided the chopsticks in. She closed her lips around the small wooden utensils, and Neji gently withdrew the chopsticks. She chewed slowly and swallowed before turning to face him. Her brown eyes sparkled when she smiled.

His own lavender eyes widened slightly as she leaned closer to him. "You're such a gentleman, Neji-kun." She said teasingly, reaching forward to run her fingertips over his knee.

"Only for you, Tenten-chan." He said, leaning in slowly towards her.

Ever since Neji had really looked at Tenten's mouth for the first time, he had wanted to kiss her. It was hyptnotizing, almost haunting, to him. And he knew that he wouldn't rest peacefully unless he pressed his lips to hers, and felt her mouth moving against his own.

His feelings for Tenten overtook his brain as his face got closer to hers. He was sure that he loved her; what else could the feeling of warmth and butterflies be in his stomach, or the blush that rose in his cheeks be?

Their lips finally met. The moment Neji had dreamed of for what seemed like forever was even better than he had hoped. Her lips seemed to fit against hers perfectly, like she had been made to kiss him. A shiver was sent down his spine as her tongue plunged into his mouth, searching and prodding past his lips.

"Oh, the joy of youthful love!" Gai-sensei exclaimed from the opposite side of the clearing.

Neji pulled away from Tenten quickly, face as red as an apple. Gai and Lee were standing across the clearing, clinging to eachother as tears rushed down their cheeks. Neji shot Tenten an exasperated look, and she smiled. "We'll continue this later." She winked at him before standing and rushing across the clearing to greet her teammate and sensei.

Smiling, Neji realized that he very much looked forward to kissing her again.

* * *

**_Winter_**

Shino was lounged out in front of a burning fire in the middle of the forest, head resting on his rolled up gray jacket. The chilly winter winds whipped against his skin, and all he could smell was his shy teammate. Hinata had her head on his chest, turned onto her side so she could look at his face. The night sky stretched above them, endless and vast. Shino's ears could pick up Kiba's ragged breathing from the other side of the flames. He and his beloved kunoichi were lying on the forest floor in silence, each enjoying the other's company.

"Shino-kun, what is love?" His lavender-eyed teammate wanted to know, breaking the silence.

He gazed at her through his dark sunglasses. He thought a while before answering her. "I think love is when you worry about what someone thinks about you, or feels about you, more than anything else." He said. "And that's how I feel about you, my Hina-chan."

Bringing her hand up to stroke his dark brunette hair, Hinata's misty purple eyes filled with tears. "Oh, koishii..." She whispered.

Reaching up to his own face to remove his glasses, Shino revealed his night black irises. Admiration swum in them as he beheld her. "It's true, my ladybug." His voice was laced with promise. Setting his glasses beside him and clutching her hand, he brought it to his face and kissed her knuckles. "I love you." He stated affectionately, bringing her hand to his lips again to bestow another kiss upon her peachy skin.

A lovely pink color filled her cheeks. Her tears rolled from her eyes and onto his black shirt. He let her hand go, which allowed her to caress his face. She said nothing, which didn't bother him in the least. She would tell him that she love him when she was ready.

And as the moon floated through the sky, the two fell asleep in bliss.

Morning came. Hinata was the first to wake. Kiba had woken up second, and had informed Hinata that he and Akamaru would go hunt for something to eat.

So Hinata had stayed, with her head on Shino's chest, listening to his heart beat. His sunglasses were still on the ground, so when his eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes, she could see his irises once more. They were hazy with sleep, but love filled them as well when he saw Hinata first thing when he awoke.

"Hey, Shino-kun?" She said, moving her head forward so she could softly press her lips against his.

When she had pulled away, he muttered softly. "Yes, my ladybug?"

"I love you." She smiled with her words, round moon eyes reflecting what he heard.

Gathering her up into his arms as he sat up, he kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, my tenshi."


End file.
